Why Darren From The Devil Below Looks So Familiar
There's a haunting new movie burning up the Netflix charts. If you've been in the mood for a terrifying creature feature, then "The Devil Below" needs to be on your watchlist.
The film follows a group of scientists and adventurers attempting to uncover the truth of an old mining town that mysteriously fell off the map. As they investigate, they discover the town met its end not at the hands of a natural fire but from something far more demonic. "The Devil Below" had a limited theatrical release back in March 2021 (via IMDb), but now that it's on Netflix, it can hopefully find an audience that appreciates what the story's attempting to accomplish.
If nothing else, the movie serves as a vital showcase for its cast of acting veterans, including Adan Canto, who plays Darren in the horror flick. He's appeared in an array of short films and TV series over the years, but there are a few places larger audiences may have seen him before.
Adan Canto broke out as Paul Torres on The Following
Early in Canto's career, he starred in numerous Spanish-language projects. However, it wasn't long until his talent caught the attention of executives in the States, landing him a recurring role as Paul Torres on "The Following." He's one of the disciples of Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), who's both a serial killer and a cult leader. Carroll's followers end up abducting Joey Matthews (Kyle Catlett), forcing Joey's father, Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), to give chase before it's too late.
The part allowed Canto to delve into fairly dark territory, especially considering how close in personality Paul was with Joe. Canto explained in an interview with Collider how he tackled such a complex character, "The way I approached him is as a fragile, loving guy who's just looking for that place in the world where he can feel at peace ... I mainly stuck with psychology and his upbringing and the kinds of things he lacked or that he wanted. He's just a very passionate guy. Whatever he loves, he'll do whatever it takes to keep loving it and to respect its life."
He appeared throughout Season 1 of the series but didn't return for the following two before Fox canceled the show for good.
He then became a superhero in X-Men: Days of Future Past
It seems like every actor gets the chance to play a superhero these days, and Adan Canto is no exception. His character may not have had many lines in "X-Men: Days of Future Past," but he at least had a cool costume and some excellent action set-pieces when he played Sunspot. He's part of the gang of Free Mutants trying to escape the clutches of the Sentinels, where he fights alongside other superpowered individuals like Blink (Fan Bingbing), Bishop (Omar Sy), and Warpath (Booboo Stewart).
When discussing the role with Superhero Hype, Canto detailed the approach he took to ensure his portrayal of the character was unlike anything that came before: "I did try to watch cartoons as well, but I didn't like the way Sunspot was depicted necessarily in the cartoons. I thought there was so much more depth within these comics, and there was a lot more thought to it, and less distraction, less visual distraction."
Sunspot would receive another chance to grace the big screen in 2020's "The New Mutants." This time Henry Zaga portrayed the mutant.
Canto moved back to TV for Designated Survivor
Adan Canto has numerous TV credits to his name, but arguably his most prominent role to date came from playing Aaron Shore on "Designated Survivor." The show's plot kicks off when the Capitol suffers a bombing, leaving Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Thomas Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) as President of the United States. He struggles to earn the acceptance of his new cabinet as well as the American people at large. One of the first individuals to accept him wholeheartedly is Aaron Shore.
However, that doesn't mean Aaron doesn't have some secrets of his own. Throughout the series, you never quite know where his true allegiances rest, and as the actor told TV Guide, "All I know is he is a man of healthy ambitions, he's great at politics, he doesn't want to stay behind, he always wants to be ahead of the game."
"Designated Survivor" ended after three seasons, making Canto a free agent once again. With experience playing a vast array of characters in so many genres, it's exciting to think where he'll pop up next.